Everything is possible
by Rambling Scribe
Summary: HR of course. A surprise lunch date makes a big impact on Ruth's Valentine's Day... My first fic so be kind and review if you want. Ta!


**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own any of the characters - they belong to Kudos and the BBC. If I did own them, Harry and Ruth would have got their act together in Series 4, or even Series 3...**

**Big big thank you to Em for the extremely fast Beta and the encouragement - I really appreciate it. :)**

**This is my first fanfic so humour me...**

**Anyway, on with the story...**

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**Everything is possible**

The incessant ringing of her phone interrupted Ruth's train of thoughts. Cursing quietly to herself, she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Ruth?"

"Harry? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, fine. Er, are you doing anything?"

_Only about a thousand and one things_. "Well, I'm trying to confirm a couple of things for the weekly report. And Zaf wants me crosscheck the names Special Branch sent over this morning against our database…"

"Right. I meant are you doing anything for lunch? You should have a lunch break."

_A lunch break?_ _Since when did Harry worry about lunch breaks?_ Ruth concluded that he had quite obviously gone mad. Perhaps his meeting with Juliet had finally pushed him to breaking point. "Lunch?" Ruth said the word carefully as if she had just learnt it.

"Meet me at one o'clock at the Storey's Gate entrance to St James's Park." It wasn't a request.

"But Ha…"

"Don't be late." There was a click and then dialling tone. Ruth looked at the receiver in her hand for several moments before replacing it. She really didn't want to go for lunch with Harry.

Although their relationship had improved since she declined to go out for dinner with him again, they were still struggling to get it on an even keel. They continued to avoid any situation, especially social ones, where they might end up spending any length of time together. The only exception had been Zaf's birthday drinks in The George… and that hadn't gone well. They had ended up sitting next to each other: conversation had been stilted and she had been grateful when he disappeared to take a phone call. By the time he'd returned, she was flirting with one of Adam's old friends from 6, who had flirted back very enthusiastically. Harry had stayed near the bar, nursing his single malt and glaring at her would-be paramour. Ruth had carried on drinking and flirting but kept one eye on him. However, temporarily distracted by Adam and Jo's terrible out-of-tune rendition of 'Happy Birthday to you' for Zaf, she hadn't seen Harry leave. She had felt both relieved and upset at his departure.

"Oh God!" Ruth held her head in her hands.

"You OK?" Zaf had appeared by her desk.

"Um, bit of a headache. I'm going to go out for a while." She stood and gathered up her coat and bag. "I'll finish checking that Special Branch list when I get back."

"Pressure's off a bit anyway as the plods have just nicked four suspects and found a lock-up full of evidence. That's what I was coming to tell you."

"See you later then." With that she was through the pods and on her way.

She stood impatiently opposite the park entrance, waiting for a break in the traffic on George Street. She could see Harry near the police office, pacing up and down in the way only he could. Finally, a taxi stopped to let the small huddle of pedestrians cross. She saw his shoulders sag slightly as she walked towards him. He'd obviously thought she wasn't going to turn up. "I'm not late am I?" She struggled to pull her sleeve up to check her watch.

"No." He smiled, genuinely pleased to see her. There was a pause as he decided on his next move. "Do you want to get something to eat? Or drink?"

"Um, maybe just a coffee." She knew from the knot in her stomach she wouldn't be able to eat anything.

They headed into the park, crossed the bridge over the lake and stopped to buy coffee at one of the refreshment huts. Securing themselves a bench, they sat down and eyed each other warily.

"Are you sure you don't want something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." She picked at the plastic lid on her coffee cup. "I probably shouldn't stay out too long, lots to do…"

"You've been avoiding me." His voice was quiet, conversational rather than accusatory.

Ruth looked at him briefly. "Er, no, I haven't," she lied. "We've been busy." At least that part was true.

"That never used to stop you talking to me; or bursting unannounced into my office."

A long silence.

"When did you decide you don't deserve to be happy Ruth?"

She stared at Harry, bewildered by his question. "What do you mean?" She finally managed to gasp.

"You won't even give me a chance, give _us_ a chance. By denying your feelings you're making us both miserable."

"Harry…"

"No! I may have spent most of my adult life lying for a living but I do know the truth when I see it. And I can see it in your eyes, in your face. You love me - why won't you just admit it?" The whole speech was delivered in calm, measured tones but the passion burning in his eyes betrayed the feeling behind it.

Ruth swallowed hard and turned her head away from Harry. His words had stung her, not because they were callous or hurtful but because they were the truth. The truth she was too frightened to acknowledge.

She felt a warm hand on her arm and a low voice close to her ear.

"I love you. I didn't expect to fall in love with you but I have. Don't punish me for that."

She took a deep breath and twisted her head to look at Harry again. "Do you mean it? That you love me? That you are in love with me?" She was breathing hard, her head reeling from his admission.

A 'Yes' accompanied a reassuring smile and a gentle squeeze of her arm.

She returned his smile and moved closer to him so she could feel the warmth of his body against her. It made her nerve ends tingle; an allusion of the intimacy she both wanted but was terrified of in equal measure.

"But what happens to us when it goes wrong? And it will go wrong, it always does."

"Oh Ruth. If you start out thinking like that, doesn't it become a self-fulfilling prophecy? I didn't think you were defeatist."

"It's just… I'm scared Harry. Scared I'll mess it up… That you'll end up disappointed in me..." she whispered.

"You just need to have faith in yourself. You won't disappoint me." His hand was now covering hers, their fingers interlaced.

She studied his face as she tried to process what had passed between them in the preceding few minutes. He'd finally told her what she'd wanted to hear from him for months, years even. She wasn't sure when she had fallen in love with Harry. Perhaps it had been love at first sight; a notion dismissed by the logical part of her brain saying it was impossible; he would never be interested in her romantically; he was her boss. Or maybe it had been a slow burning passion; respect that had generated admiration, adoration and eventually love.

Ruth freed her hand from Harry's grasp and reached up to stroke his face. He smiled at her touch and let out long breath. She pulled his face down to hers and gently kissed him, savouring the warmth and softness of his lips.

She only relinquished his mouth when she felt something cold brush against her right hand, which was still grasping her forgotten, and now rapidly cooling, coffee. It had started to snow.

"Come on, we can't sit out here in the cold." Harry reluctantly took her hand from his face and stood up.

They walked back towards Thames House hand-in-hand, only letting go of each other as they neared the building. Ruth stopped Harry a few hundred yards short of their destination.

"We probably shouldn't go back in together. Don't want to encourage gossip." She smiled nervously, hoping he'd understand she wasn't rejecting him again, just trying to protect the new status of their relationship.

"Good point."

They remained were they were, looking into each other's eyes, silently affirming their love.

"Right then." Ruth spoke first. "I need to get a couple of things."

Harry didn't move.

"Go on!" She prodded him.

"Alright, I'm going." He started to walk away. Turning to look back at her he called out, "Don't be long though, you've work to do."

'Cheeky sod' she thought as she stuck her tongue out at him. She watched him stride off into the distance and smiled to herself. It was turning out to be a much better Valentine's Day than she had expected.


End file.
